2 comments about Essentials of Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications w/ Student Resource DVD.

1. This book is a typical Cimbala text book...Fluid mechanics explained as simple and comprehensive as possible!
   
   Great book!



2. Yea right to the guy or girl above, this book is horrible if you're starting out fluid mechanics, I've read a passage 5 times and it still doesn't make any sense and i'm actually a 3.8 gpa student in Aerospace Engineering. This book is excruciating.

5 comments about Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach w/ Student Resources DVD.

1. Frankly, I think that this was one of the best engineering texts I have had. Granted, I am only a stupid mechanical engineer, but this book gives your all that you need for as a basis for heat transfer and other courses. Also included in the special topics are refrigerators. Yes, they are random, but they actually connected pulling values out of tables with real life. The book had good examples, and enough of them. The text was readable and straightforward.
   
   Something that I rather like is that the pictures were in red, black, and white. I think it makes the pages less distracting and easier to read (although sometimes it does take an extra minute to figure out the diagram).
   
   I am not sure what the DVD was--some software, I believe, but no professor ever bothers to use it. That is what I wish they had cut to save money.



2. I got my book that I ordered in the time they specified and it was ing good condition.



3. My class used only the first eleven chapters, but it was clear that the chapters were written more with a mechanical engineering bent of mind. The theory part was great, but the examples could use more work, especially for the thermodynamic cycle problems, which would have been much easier if an accompanying entropy-temperature graph was present. also, a few of the worked out solutions were incorrect. Overall, a good book, but keep a look out for alternates. Maybe the updated edition is better..
   Also, make sure your copy has the property table accompanying it, because they are really important and for many problems, it is easier to use the slim tables than the heavy book.



4. This book provide a excellent definition of Thermodynamic that help you to understand all concepts that you need to learn this subjet, the problems are very clear to understand the process to resolve they.



5. It was the correct textbook. It's an old version but that is what the prof required. Books are Books.

5 comments about An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics.

1. An excellent text book for Physical Chemist who want to get sound footing in Statistical Thermodynamics.Inorder to really get a good view of the basics of statistical mechanics the reader really needs to spend an adequate amount of time in digesting the contents of the initial chapter. However, after spending some amount of time in reading those initial chapters, one can grasp the latter parts of the book in a quite interesting fashion.In my opinion, this book is a must for those who want to master the statstical thermodynamics. Infact, one would be really amazed at the standard of the book considering the fact that it is reasonably old. No new standard books on ' Statistical Mechanics' can provide such an adequate foundations as it in this book. I would strongly recommend this book along with the other book 'Statistical Mechanics' by the same author.
   Sasisanker Padmanabhan



2. i'm a student of applied chemistry and this book has everything you need too know as undergraduate of statistical thermodynamics



3. Good book. Order of the presentation of material isn't so intuitive to me, but he does specify what is applicable to chemists versus physicists.



4. The authors takes time to explain the basic hypotheses of statistical mechanics. I believe that it is an excellent introduction to this field.



5. This is an absolutely not useful book. It is not understood at all and it is written so that no body can understand it but the author himself. So I do not recommend for you to buy it. Please save your money.
   
   TM

5 comments about Thermodynamics.

1. fermi presents thermodynamics with beutiful economy. many other authors obfuscate the subject with extraneous detail, often missing the most important points. fermi misses absolutely nothing of importance, but does not weigh down his explanations with ramblings or tangents either. he presents the bare core of thermodynamics.

   though the following analogy is somewhat cheesy, i find it appropriate: most authors who have written on thermo are like beginning kung fu students who do all sorts of fancy moves, backflips, and sommersaults but who ultimately land on their behinds. fermi is like the grand master who uses a stunning sparsity of moves, but each one is necessary and each one is enough. in the end, his competition doesn't stand a chance. he's just that good.




2. Thanks for the previous reviewers. Their comments are absolutely correct. This is one of the best book on thermodynamics!

   The book is small in size, but contains clear and comprehensive explanations of the subject.

   There is usually something I don't like in a book. However, I cannot find a single negative thing about this one. It is that good!




3. These lectures by Enrico Fermi make great reading for undergraduates in chemistry or physics, particularly those undergoing the rigors of physical chemistry and chemical thermodynamics. Fermi writes with clarity, always carefully laying the appropriate groundwork for each topic.

   The mathematics assumes familiarity with calculus, including partial differentiation. Fermi provides clear explanations and motivation for the mathematics and the derivations are complete and easy to follow. For example, he carefully explained the form of a perfect differential of two variables and how it can be more readily integrated. I appreciated this help.

   The first four chapters will be familiar to students of physics: Thermodynamic Systems, First Law of Thermodynamics, Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Entropy. The derivation of the Clapeyron equation and the Van der Waals equation may be new to some students.

   Thereafter, the text begins to look more like physical chemistry with chapters titled Thermodynamic Potentials, Gaseous Reactions, Thermodynamics of Dilute Solutions, and the Entropy Constant. I found these last chapters to be more difficult, but not overly so.

   At some points Thermodynamics becomes a real page-turner, but not in the sense of a fast-paced action story. The page-turning is necessary to retrieve earlier mathematical expressions. Occasionally, you will encounter statements like "the expression for the free energy is immediately obtained from equations (111), (29), and (86)." Fermi does not allow the reader to forget earlier derivations and discussions.

   If your familiarity with thermodynamics is limited (or now foggy due to the passage of years), I suggest first reading Understanding Thermodynamics by H. C. Van Ness. This 100-page book, a series of lectures, is an excellent introduction to thermodynamics from an engineering and physics perspective. It corresponds to the first four chapters of Fermi's text.




4. This book is somewhat outdated. The fundamental concepts are still there and are pretty clear, but there are still things that are assumed of the reader. These assumptions are based on the fact that the reader has knowledge of thermodynamics already. This is actually stated at the beginning of the book. If you are an undergrad taking a thermo class, I do not think this would be a good book to help you in understanding this subject more completely.



5. I am a recently retired electrical engineer.
   
   One goal I have had for retirement is to try to become knowledgable about energy, on account of it being in my view the most crucial technical issue that will determine the well-being or lack thereof of mankind in the coming years.
   
   As I have read various articles and books on contemporary energy topics, it dawned on me that I need to get a better grounding in thermodynamics and chemistry.
   
   I had one course in thermodynamics in school, but, as an EE, I think I just learned it well enough to pass the tests without understanding it in depth.
   
   There is an excellent book on renewable energy called "Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes" that covers the gamut of energy alternatives, and is geared toward someone with a science/engineering background, as compared to the many books on the topic of energy that are written at a layman's level.
   
   There is some good material in the early chapters of that book on thermodynamics and heat engines. However, I felt like I should get a few additional books on thermodynamics to make sure I have a good grasp of the fundamentals.
   
   Fermi's book has proved to be very useful in that regard. I have only gone through the chapters on the 1st & second laws and entropy, which I think may be all I need to know for now.
   
   I was concerned that a book by Fermi might be over my head.
   
   To my delight, I found that is not the case. For me, the level of difficulty was just right- he does not cut corners, but it is at a level where I think most undergraduate engineering students would be able to grasp it without tremendous agony. But, although it is not overly abstract, Fermi approaches the subject from a physicist's perspective, which is: Whatever concept he is covering, he doesn't pull it out of a hat, he explains where it comes from.
   
   
   I believe everything I ever did in my engineering career that was of substance was in an area where I had a decent grasp of the origins of the formulas and concepts I was working with.
   
   Fermi's book is the most valuable tool I have found to get such a grounding in the basic laws of thermodynamics.
   
   I have only read through the chapter on entropy- I'm not sure whether I will need the rest of the material, but I will probably discover before too long that the answer is yes.
   
   I now feel better prepared to read up on practical heat engines. I believe it will be easier to learn such material and I will understand it better on account of having gotten the fundamentals from Fermi's book.

No comments about Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy with Starry Night (Book & Pro DVD, version 5.0).

No comments about Engineering Fluid Mechanics.

5 comments about The Dock Manual: Designing/Building/Maintaining.

1. I gave up trying to find any useful information on dock building and then happened across this book not long ago. Max Burns has written a very comprehensive reference book that covers almost any imaginable dock/shore situation including the one I was looking for . If you're thinking of building your own, add this book to your library!



2. Yes, this book provides a well-illustrated overview of approaches to dock building and choices of materials. But it doesn't go far enough if you have a significant tidal range or if the wind blows. What's missing is any introduction to engineering. How to make sure the ramp doesn't fall off your float when the tide goes out. How to figure the static forces on your dock caused by 4 knot currents. How to estimate the wave heights and dynamic forces in 80 knot winds. And how to design a dock that will survive this abuse. You might want to involve a professional engineer in these situations, but that can be true of pretty much anything to do with docks. A book with this title should at least introduce you to these subjects and provide references for the gory details. Like some others, the author believes books like this should be peppered with jokes. Personally I find this annoying, but I must admit his jokes are above average. So if you want a funny introduction to building docks in gentle places, this book is for you.



3. Very thorough. Just the information I needed to determine what type of dock to build on my lakefront property.



4. I've built decks and docks in the past and I find this text to be of immense value as I prepare to build a new system of decks and docks at a new location. I'd suggest this this one to anyone who was about to build near or on the water.



5. As a handyman I like to bulid my own things. This book gives you a lot of insight. It shows an easier way of doing things by using things you would not have thought of. It is an excellent book with a lot of ideals.

5 comments about Understanding Thermodynamics.

1. This book is an excellent conceptual introduction to thermodynamics. It helps you to get the "big picture" without getting into mathematical details. The first few chapters are suitable for high-school students that are interested in the fundamental concepts and laws of thermodynamics.



2. Van Ness cures the common problem of vapid thermodynamics texts by clearly explaining the basics and then stopping.
   
   His little book is an easy read, and firmly roots the student in the reality of what thermodynamic laws and equations actually mean. Most importantly, van Ness repeatedly makes clear that thermodynamics is about imaginary processes that will never occur in real machines.
   
   This should be the first week's read of every course in thermo.



3. First, skip over the silly introductory analogy of a little kid playing with marbles or whatever. But then it gets good. Aside from introducing an equation (p.28) including the variable S without even defining, let alone explaining, it, the 1st and 2nd law are explained very lucidly and with much care (I am a graduate electrical engineer with a full-semester thermodynamics course under my belt who's forgotten most of the subject). Entropy is very well dealt with. The last part of the book deals with thermodynamics vs statistical mechanics & there it gets pretty rough. I didn't try to assimilate too much of that part, not being as intetersted, but it's rigorous and doubtlessly also a fine exposition.
   
   This book is certainly worth the small price and a chunk of your time.



4. Who knew that thermodynamics could actually be entertaining? This book is a joy to read regardless of your technical background or interests. It isn't meant to be a text, or even a demonstration of the subject's importance, but, rather, an invocation of the sheer wonder that can lie in the most mundane things if only you can look at them from the viewpoint that thermodynamics offers.



5. This thin book is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand thermodynamics. A better title for this book may be `Thermodynamics Companion'. This it not a stand alone text, but a supplement to a text book or more advanced reference. This author explains in detail (and without a lot of mathematical mumbo-jumbo) the basics of thermodynamics. It is geared toward the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student in engineering or physics who wants to understand thermo. The mathematics is simple (anyone with a little knowledge of calculus can handle it), so the reader won't get bogged down in the equations. If you really want to get a handle on what thermo means (beyond just manipulating equations), this would be a great place to start. This book contains the best discussion of entropy that I've ever found. The notion of entropy is a difficult one for many new to thermo. It is easy to learn how to manipulate the equations, another thing to really understand what they mean. The latter is the author's goal in this book, and he has succeeded. At less than $8, this is a no-brainer.

3 comments about Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes.

1. The second edition of "Solar Engineering..." is a much expanded and updated version of the original, which was already a decent textbook. It covers almost everything there is to know about engineering of solar energy systems, and the presentation is clear and well organized. The division into "basics" and "applications" sections is a very sensible way to get oriented before plunging into the depth of a specific technology, especially since solar thermal applications tend to cover a wide variety of technologies. The gradual and systematic approach makes this book a very good textbook for beginners. The wide scope makes it also a pretty good reference source for practitioners who are looking for a specific bit of information.

   The new chapter on photovoltaic cells is a nice touch. While this is not a "thermal process," it is still important for any practitioner of solar thermal to know what's happening in the other corner of the field. A presentation of PV at the level that can be understood by non-physicists is a very welcome addition.

   My only complaint is that recent significant developments are not well represented (I guess much of this developed after the book was written, so this complaint is not really aimed at the authors). Topics such as non-imaging concentrators, high-temperature thermal receivers for Brayton cycle, and solar chemistry are either briefly mentioned or absent altogether. The more traditional applications such DHW are of course presented in detail, but their significance to the energy market remains negligible. I would prefer to see more on applications that have the potential to make a major impact. Hopefully this will be included in the next edition...




2. This is the textbook of fundamentals of solar energy engineering.



3. This is the best book to have an initial view about solar energy and its aplicattion.

5 comments about Student's Solutions Manual for Thermodynamics, Statistical Thermodynamics, & Kinetics.

1. Thomas Engel's Physical Chemistry is a book full of mistakes as well as stupid problems... The Quantum chemistry part is horribly explained(about 10 chapters). Which makes me think... perhaps the author can not explain the material because he does not understand it. Engel take some more quantum classes or repeat them, and then write a book about a subject you have not mastered. I want my money back.



2. I've used half of the book now. The layout is not very organized. I found the graphical representations useful.
   
   ok, 2nd semester in work. I'd prefer to downgrade this rating to negative 5 if I could. This book has turned into a major disaster. It is so riddled with errors...the derivations are never right. Everytime something doesn't work out right it's because the book is wrong. flat out.
   
   This book gets my strongest disapproval possible. Buying this book is throwing away your money. Thanks engel. Thanks for all those hours lost trying to figure out what mistake I had make working out the derivations in this book only to find the book was wrong all along.
   
   I'm still a little bitter about the false advertising when I got it...re: spartan software student copy that wasn't included.



3. A modern, clear, and extensive physical chemistry text. It does break tradition with the heavyweights in the field (Atkins, McQuarrie), but does so for good reason: there aren't enough computational background or computer computation applications in the others. Those books do a great job with the theory and mathematics, but this book show's you how to use that mathematics to really understand chemistry. It focuses heavily computational chemistry with actual software and the Spartan Quantum chemistry software that book's authors use is very inexpensive if you buy the student version. As a bonus, this book is the most colorful and well laid-out and edited one available today.



4. I used this book for my pchem courses and found it to be completely worthless. While it does focus on computational crap that's not very important the first time around. The quantum chapters are pretty poorly done, and well the thermo stuff is just boring. All in all, I found this text to be useless. The derivations include many errors, and often are presented before the text introduces what they're trying to derive thereby further confusing you. You're better off not buying this book, unless you need for class, and buying one of the more used books like Levine's or Macquarrie's.



5. Let me begin by saying - I love chemistry. I love math. I'm a total nerd. But this book turned me off to both. Taking a year of physical chemistry is hard - but this book makes it even harder. This is the first year my professors have used this book, and I think it will be their last.
   
   The key points aren't covered in detail. The math is overly complicated, and the problems don't hit the right points. I don't have a lot of P.Chem textbook knowledge, but there has to be something better out there.
   
   I wouldn't recommend the text at all - but if you buy it, you ABSOLUTELY need the solutions manual.